UNDP Jobs - 76048- SDG Country Knowledge Bank-International Consultan

SDG Country Knowledge Bank-International Consultant

Location :

Bangkok, THAILAND

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

02-Jan-2018

Application Deadline :

13-Dec-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

2 January 2018- 29 June 2018

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Up to 120 working days

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UNDP is supporting developing countries in Asia Pacific with the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Initial country level efforts, supported by UNDP and other UN and development partners, have focused on putting in place the building blocks necessary to support SDG achievements. This includes developing institutional arrangements to promote coordination and policy coherence across sectors and government levels, aligning national and sub-national development plans and budgets with the 2030 Agenda and to assess the availability of data and capacities of data ecosystems to monitor progress. Work has also started on identifying priorities and target setting. Beyond aligning national development strategies and other policies, countries are also looking at ways to integrate the SDGs into the budget process and to come up with new, more integrated financing options. Next steps will involve the identification of interlinkages between goals and targets and ‘accelerator interventions’, interventions that can trigger progress across a range of goals and targets. As articulated in its new Strategic Plan 2018-2021, UNDP will further reinforce this work through the establishment of Country Support Platforms for the SDGs.

Government and other actors have expressed strong interest in learning from each other and using the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs as a basis for plans, and future projects and investments. Beyond the information included in the Voluntary National Review to the UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF), however, there is no standardized or systematic monitoring of country efforts in this regard. UNDP, in collaboration with partners, aims to fill this void in line with the organization’s priorities. Through the creation of Country Knowledge Banks on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, UNDP and partners aim to provide a basis for learning and targeted action to achieve the SDGs. This effort will contribute to UNDP’s Country Support Platforms and the foreseen role as the “Integrator” at country level.

UNDP BRH will recruit a consultant to support research and information gathering on country efforts on SDG implementation in selected countries in Asia and the Pacific and to prepare an evaluation including on country demand and needs, target audiences and sustainability of Country Knowledge Banks.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

Undertake background research on efforts on the 2030 Agenda and SDGs of selected countries, including reviewing VNRs, DFAs, CCA/UNDAF, national development plans, data availability assessments, etc.;
Review and analyze materials and prepare country briefs and related content;
Support the refinement of the methodology and approach for preparation of Country Knowledge Banks;
Liaise with country offices and external partners for information gathering and verification;
Support the organization of side events around the Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development and the UN High Level Political Forum;
Research innovative avenues for information gathering, such as data and media mapping tools;
Review and prepare overview of existing SDG platforms and website options;
Prepare an evaluation on demand and needs, target audiences and sustainability of Country Knowledge Banks;
Work with a web designer for content upload and presentation.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The expected outputs from this assignment are as follow:

5 Country briefs detailing efforts on the SDGs, including the categories of architecture, planning, projects and programs, finance and data (countries to be selected by ADB-UNDP);
Collection of background documents, links and tools and content for web presentation of country briefs;
Evaluation report of demand and needs, target audiences and sustainability of Country Knowledge Banks;
Overview report with recommendations on innovative avenues for information gathering for the Country Knowledge Banks;
One launch event organized.

Institutional Arrangement

The consultant will report to the Policy Specialist, Inclusive Growth Team at UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub. The consultant will work closely and in consultation with all members of the Inclusive Growth Team; as necessary, the consultant will work closely and in consultation with management and staff of selected country offices of UNDP.

Duration of the Work: 2 January 2018- 29 June 2018 (Up to 120 working days)

Duty Station: Bangkok, Thailand. One or two travels to countries in the region possible.

Competencies

Strong analytical, reporting, and writing abilities;
Excellent facilitation skills;
Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
Ability to plan, organize, implement, and report on work;
Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;
Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards;
Positive, constructive attitude to work;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

Educational Qualifications

Advanced degree in sustainable development, economics, political science or related field.

Experience

3-5 years of experience working on issues of sustainable development, the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, international development, or related topics.
Professional experience in working with international organizations, experience working with United Nations organs and ADB on international development context will be an advantage.
Experience in information and knowledge management, communication, collecting knowledge, research and evaluation;
Experience in event coordination and management.
Proven records of writing briefs and reports for a professional audience.

Language Skill

Excellent written and spoken skills in English.

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Consultant shall quote an all-inclusive Daily Fee for the contract period. The term “all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, consumables, etc.) that could be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment are already factored into the daily fee submitted in the proposal. If applicable, travel or daily allowance cost (if any work is to be done outside the IC’s duty station) should be identified separately. Payments shall be done on a monthly basis based on actual days worked, upon verification of completion of deliverables and approval by the IC’s supervisor of a Time Sheet indicating the days worked in the period.

In general, UNDP shall not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources

In the event of unforeseeable travel not anticipated in this TOR, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Travel costs shall be reimbursed at actual but not exceeding the quotation from UNDP approved travel agent. The provided living allowance will not be exceeding UNDP DSA rates. Repatriation travel cost from home to duty station in Bangkok and return shall not be covered by UNDP.

Evaluation Method and Criteria

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology Cumulative analysis

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as a) responsive/compliant/acceptable; and b) having received the highest score out of set of weighted technical criteria (70%). and financial criteria (30%). Financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received by UNDP for the assignment.

Technical Criteria for Evaluation (Maximum 70 points)

Criteria 1 Relevance of education - Max 10 points
Criteria 2 Experience in working on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs - Max 30 Points
Criteria 3 Track records in writing of analytical documents and reports - Max 30 points- (scoring from sample of report or brief)

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Documentation required

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload maximum one document:

Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided in Annex II.
Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.
Cover Letter (maximum 2 pages) including brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
Financial proposal, as per template provided in Annex II. Note: National consultants must quote prices in US Dollar.
2 Samples of report or brief indicate your analytical skills in writing.

Incomplete proposals may not be considered. The shortlisted candidates may be contacted and the successful candidate will be notified.

To get forms and related documents, please clidk the link below:

http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=42840